Drawer Construction

[LarryS.]

Hi all,

Router table project is starting back up this weekend and the plan is to make the drawers. I have a stock of 18mm and 9mm ply so was panning to amke the drawer sides and front from the 18mm and the base from 9mm.

As its my first time ever making a drawer can you help with 2 things :

1. How should I join the sides / back and front (I am planning to route a slot for the base) ? Biscuits, screws, glue ?? Please don't suggest dovetails as its my first ever project so I want to start with the easy stuff!

2. Any other hints / tips / learning points for drawer construction ?

*I have bought side runners from B&Q for all the drawers*

cheers

pic of the table attached :

 

[OllyK]

If you're not prepared to go with dovetails (easy of you have a jig) then maybe go with dados (I'd use those to attach back to the sides anyway).

TBH with modern glues, a dado to hold the front to the sides will probably suffice. I might be tempted to add a biscuit or some dowels perhaps.

 

[Slim]

Are you going to make the drawer boxes and the add a separate front? If you are I would suggest just glueing and screwing, as the drawer front will hide the screws. I find a pocket hole jig ideal for situations like this.

 

[LarryS.]

Are you going to make the drawer boxes and the add a separate front? If you are I would suggest just glueing and screwing, as the drawer front will hide the screws. I find a pocket hole jig ideal for situations like this.

Simon,

I have a pocket hole jig (turned up a couple of days ago) but have never used one so may give that a go. But I am tempted to try the Dado's (never done that before either). I am at the start of my woodworking life so its all new right now !

 

[p111dom]

This can be a little tricky. Personally I would dovetail the front and dado the back Norm style. It really depends on what dovetail jig you have. The chaper ones tend to have a minimum thichness of material of at least 12mm. The Leigh will go down to 5mm but that's rare. 9mm is pretty thin even for stuff like screwing the drawer runners to the side and I'm not sure you would have enough thickness to just but them together and use pocket hole screws. The same could be said for biscuits. It would leave very little material either side of the cut. Then theres the drawer bottom. I wouldn't wand to do a dado through more than a third of the side thickness, thats only a 3mm groove to hold what could be a lot of weight. . Personally I would ditch the 9mm and buy a sheet of 12mm. The only alternative would be to use a box comb joint. It's not too hard to make a jig to make then on your saw, even easier if you do them with the router table even if it's just a finished top mounted on say a workmate.

Coincidentally I have an old Kity box comb jig from my old Kity 419 saw. It's not complete as it's missing the wobble blade but it would work with the standard 8 inch blade with a little fettling I think. It depend on whether your saw has the same sized mitre slots as the Kity. The machine looks very similar.

 

[Slim]

Paul, the advantage of using a pocket hole jig, or a normal screw through the front, is that you don't need to clamp the drawers while the glue dries.

 

[Slim]

Dom,

Paul said he is using 18mm, not 9mm.

 

[p111dom]

Sorry missread the origional post a little. So you're using 18mm all the way round. In that case all of the above would do. It's perhaps the other way and a little over kill now plus 18mm sided will eat up internal room. That said if you have the stuff already I guess it's cheaper than buying more. I'd still buy a sheet of 12mmm it it were me and make the sides and bottom from it with the 18mm stuff as a secondary front.

 

[LarryS.]

Sorry missread the origional post a little. So you're using 18mm all the way round. In that case all of the above would do. It's perhaps the other way and a little over kill now plus 18mm sided will eat up internal room. That said if you have the stuff already I guess it's cheaper than buying more. I'd still buy a sheet of 12mmm it it were me and make the sides and bottom from it with the 18mm stuff as a secondary front.

It has to be sods law that when I went to B&Q they only had stock of the 18mm & 9mm so thats all I could get at the time ! I think I'll go with the 18mm all the way round to use up the wood thats now taking up space in the shop (maybe get 12mm for the sides if I have to head up to B&Q for any other reason). I'm also going to take a little bit of everyones advice and try one draw using the pocket hole, another with the dado, then see how they turn out.

As for the dovetail jig, at the moment I have the 'fresh air' model, never had any problems with it as I haven't got it ! Any recommendations (as I am going to be in the market for one in the very near future)

cheers all for your input, its very much appreciated by a novice like me

 

[wizer]

Biscuits! Life's too short, this is workshop furniture. I have just done this and I honestly think biscuits will be fine. If it's 18mm then reinforce with screws or brads.

 

[p111dom]

Biscuits! Life's too short, this is workshop furniture. I have just done this and I honestly think biscuits will be fine. If it's 18mm then reinforce with screws or brads.

I would agree but I made my workshop cabinets to the best of my ability. It taught me alot when I was starting out and if I made a mistake then it didn't matter as the result was confined to the shop. I think making each drawer a different way is a great idea. It could show you some pitfalls on future projects using the same techniques.

 

[LarryS.]

to keep everyone happy the third draw will be done using Biscuits !!

Has anyone got a recommendation for a dovetail jig ? I am willing to spend a bitmore money for something thats all singing all dancing rather than buy a cheaper one now and have to upgrade later

 

[mailee]

Hello Paul, I have two dovetail jigs and have to admit the cheaper of the two is much better for me. If I had the funds then I would buy the Leigh jig but it is very expensive for the amount of dovetails I make. I did originally use the common or garden one that grips the side and front and cuts blind dovetails together in one action but found it a nightmare to set up each time and it was too easy to get it wrong. I bought the simple plate one made by Dakota from Rutlands and it is brilliant! It will only cut one side at a time but cuts through dovetails that are a perfect fit every time and very quickly too. It comes with two cutters one for the pins and one for the tails and a thick aluminium plate with pin and tail fingers on each side. All you have to do is make a clamping board for it and you are away. It can be used with a hand held router or on a table and will cut up to 15" in width. I forget how much it was but around £50 springs to mind. Having said that I wouldn't bother using it for a workshop drawer and would go for the dados for speed. HTH. :wink:

 

[LarryS.]

Hello Paul, I have two dovetail jigs and have to admit the cheaper of the two is much better for me. If I had the funds then I would buy the Leigh jig but it is very expensive for the amount of dovetails I make. I did originally use the common or garden one that grips the side and front and cuts blind dovetails together in one action but found it a nightmare to set up each time and it was too easy to get it wrong. I bought the simple plate one made by Dakota from Rutlands and it is brilliant! It will only cut one side at a time but cuts through dovetails that are a perfect fit every time and very quickly too. It comes with two cutters one for the pins and one for the tails and a thick aluminium plate with pin and tail fingers on each side. All you have to do is make a clamping board for it and you are away. It can be used with a hand held router or on a table and will cut up to 15" in width. I forget how much it was but around £50 springs to mind. Having said that I wouldn't bother using it for a workshop drawer and would go for the dados for speed. HTH. :wink:

Mailee,

I intend to make some simple home furniture (chest of drawers type stuff), from your experience would I need a jig that can do blind dovetails aswell and can yours do them ?

thanks

paul

 

[Sgian Dubh]

Hi all,

As its my first time ever making a drawer can you help with 2 things :

1. How should I join the sides / back and front

cheers

Simple, very quick, economical, and importantly, serviceable for functional workshop type drawers is the following.

Rip all the wood or ply required to the right width. Run a groove to carry the bottom. Cut the sides to the required length. Cut the front and back to the requisite length. Cut the base square to fit the grooves. Do a dry fit to check it all goes together as planned. Apply glue to the grooves and ends of the front an back parts. Nail it all together. Attach the box to the drawer slides you've purchased. Cut and apply the false drawer front.

You might be surprised just how well cheap and cheerful drawers like this hold together, especially when the stress of moving the drawer in and out of its opening is carried by the slides.

It ain't pretty. It ain't sophisticated. It ain't no work of art, but this simple stuff works and lets you get back to practicing on real furniture dead quick. I've got drawers in my toolbox I made like this twenty five years ago. They're holding together just fine. Slainte.

 

[mailee]

Hi Paul, My original dovetail jig can cut half blind dovetails but the Dakota one can't. Personally I prefer to see through dovetails as they look more hand made (cheating I know) As for the original jig it took too much setting up for me and if you go this way I would recommend a router you can leave set up for just this job, this is what I have now if I need to use this jig. Here is the link to the jigs I am talking about. The upper one is the one I now use and prefer which cuts through dovetails and the lower one is the other that cuts half blind but is a pain to set up.
http://www.rutlands.co.uk/cgi-bin/psPro ... &Submit=Go

 

[LarryS.]

thanks for the suggestion slainte but i think i am going to try making them the ways described above so that i am practicing on the cheap wood rather than on good stuff !
paul

 

[wizer]

I appreciate the concept of practising. But a different joint for each drawer is dangerous ground. You're allowing for errors to creep in. Three different setups. Sounds like a nightmare to me. I'd pick one that you'd like to learn and stick with that for all three.

 

[LarryS.]

Hi Paul, My original dovetail jig can cut half blind dovetails but the Dakota one can't. Personally I prefer to see through dovetails as they look more hand made (cheating I know) As for the original jig it took too much setting up for me and if you go this way I would recommend a router you can leave set up for just this job, this is what I have now if I need to use this jig. Here is the link to the jigs I am talking about. The upper one is the one I now use and prefer which cuts through dovetails and the lower one is the other that cuts half blind but is a pain to set up.
http://www.rutlands.co.uk/cgi-bin/psPro ... &Submit=Go

thanks for the link, looks like a good start and i take your point about the through dovetails (I am mroe than happy to cheat !)

Wizer,

I'm thinking about it the otherway, if i c*ck up on one type the other two will be ok whereas if I did them all the same way there's a chance they all will be balls*d up !